The 21st Century Cougars are on the brink of making Gary history. Just two victories separate them from capturing the school’s elusive first state title.
After years of knocking on the door of an Indiana state championship, the Cougars have pushed their way into the semi-state. Guided by second-year head coach James Scott, the team has weathered early-season setbacks and leaned on its experienced upperclassmen to steady the ship.
“We had some adversity,” Scott said. “We started out well at 6-0, then we took a couple losses to a Chicago school, a 3A school, and a 4A school, so at times we’ve been up and down in terms of our play.”
“Our juniors and seniors who’ve been here three years have been able to balance that and get back to what we thought we always could be, which is a pretty solid basketball team.”
In a city with a legacy built on hardwood heroes and state titles, it’s been more than a decade since a team brought one home. Seasoned by past heartbreaks and fueled by the pride of a city that lives and breathes basketball, they’re not just chasing a trophy — they’re chasing history.
On Thursday, the team practiced at Michigan City High School, where they will play Wapahani High School on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. At one point during practice, noticing the team’s energy a notch beneath what he desired, Scott stopped practice to make sure every player understood the moment.
“Some guys have been here, other guys haven’t, so they don’t understand the magnitude of this opportunity. So the young guys especially need to understand that it’s difficult to get back here, so we need to take advantage of it.”
The energy in the gym picked up after Scott’s pause, as junior Terrence Hayes encouraged his teammates to be more vocal.
“We’re too quiet, fellas,” Hayes yelled as the team ran through offensive drills. Hayes capped the drill with alley-oop to Lemetrius Williams.
Sydney Smith, 21st Century’s athletic director, is also in her second year with the school and is still blown away by the amount of community and parental support the team receives.
“That was the biggest thing for me. I have never seen anything like it before in my life,” Smith said.
“That’s one of the biggest things I noticed coming to Gary; it’s more than just the school, but the entire city. The support is huge.”
The Cougars’ recent success has been undeniable. Since the charter school’s first full season in 2009, they have claimed eight sectional titles and four regional titles. Former Cougar Johnell Davis, who won three sectional championships while at 21st Century, has gone on to become a mainstay in the NCAA’s “March Madness,” making it to the Final Four with Florida Atlantic in 2023 and sealing a game to advance in this year’s tournament for Arkansas.
The one mountain the Cougars have yet to fully climb stands before them once again this weekend, starting with the Wapahani Raiders — last year’s state runner-up — whose only loss of the season was back in January. The Raiders are riding a 12-game winning streak into Saturday’s game.
While this is just Scott’s second season with the Cougars, he’s confident in his stewardship of the team, since he’s been where they’re trying to go. As an assistant at Thea Bowman Leadership Academy with the late legendary coach Marvin Rea, Scott made four trips to the state title game, winning two.
Scott desperately wants this set of kids to share that experience.
“It’s about the overall environment, and the experience of going downstate and playing where the [Indianapolis] Pacers play,” Scott said.
“The school has had a storied history of winning but just hasn’t had that opportunity to win that first state championship, so that’s what’s most important for the kids and the school.”
